January 10 - 49 BCE - Julius Caesar Crosses the Rubicon

In one of the most famous declarations in history, Julius Caesar announced his intention to take on the Roman establishment by saying "The Die is Cast." Or at least that's the story, and it certainly is an appropriate reflection of his intentions. Caesar was not really launching an overwhelming invasion or seeking a military solution. Instead, he was playing a political game. He knew that his political opponents, led by Pompey, would be panicked, but that the population of Rome would stand behind him. The initial movements went just as Caesar predicted, but it launched a years long Civil War that stretched all over the Mediterraean. Nonetheless, Caesar's crossing of the Rubicon was something Caesar, Rome, and world history could never turn back from.